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Leon High's AP Capstone teacher and student propose district-wide research symposium
Summary
AP Capstone teacher Sarah Marquez and junior Zoe Shoplock asked the board to create an interdisciplinary research symposium where Capstone students across the district could present original research with university mentors and judges; a board member offered to follow up and staff agreed to connect.
An AP Capstone teacher and a student from Leon High School urged the Leon County School Board on May 13 to establish a district-wide interdisciplinary research symposium for AP Capstone students.
Sarah Marquez, an AP Capstone teacher at Leon High School, described the AP Capstone diploma program'which includes AP Seminar and AP Research plus four additional AP exams'and explained that AP Research requires students to design an original, IRB-approved project and produce a 4,000-word paper and oral defense. "In AP Research, students make real contributions to the academic community by designing a research project... collecting data once their project is approved for ethicality by an IRB board, and analyzing that data in a 4,000 word research paper," Marquez said.
Junior Zoe Shoplock, who said she has worked more than 300 hours in a Florida State University lab and expects a summer publication, described how mentorship expanded her research opportunities and career goals. "Being there has allowed me to understand what I want to do when I'm older... this program pushes kids to do work way beyond the high school level," Shoplock said.
Marquez asked the board to consider creating an interdisciplinary research symposium where Capstone students across the district could present their work and receive feedback from university partners. A board member volunteered to help and several members said they could recruit university mentors; staff member Mr. Cypher (as named in the transcript) was identified as the board's point person to follow up with the presenters.
Board members also noted concern over statewide budget talks: one member referenced legislative proposals to cut funding for AP and IB programs, saying cuts under discussion could reduce AP/IB budgets by 50% and would affect programs like Capstone.
No formal action was taken; staff agreed to follow up with the Capstone teacher and student about next steps for the proposed symposium.
